Wednesday, August 1, 2007

I think I might be unreasonable.

I'm out of parking passes, and they are important. On nights when the Cubs are in town, my brother/lodger's car (actually, my parents' car) will be ticketed and towed if this pass is not in place by 5:00 p.m. In order to secure these passes, I need proof of address, a license*, and five bucks. The bubby and I drove over to the bank this morning to get some cash to get this whole process started. So my bank has three drive-thru lanes. [I would like to state, for the record, however, that my bubby and I walk to the bank whenever possible. Today, walking made no sense due to excessive heat and the location of the alderman's office where the parking passes were to be obtained.] The drive-up ATM machine is about six or seven feet behind the first drive-thru lane (the one that is an actual window and not the tube thing). Now, my personal policy is always to use the second or third drive-thru lane. I do this because I know from experience that when a car is using the first drive-thru lane, then no one can use the drive-up ATM at the same time. You can't get close enough to insert your ATM card if a car is using the window in the first lane. To me, it is logical to keep the first lane free for that very reason. This morning, sure enough, I tried to pull up to the ATM but could not because the window was in use. I found myself getting angry and self-righteous, wondering why the woman ahead of me did not have the common courtesy to adopt my "second-or-third-lane-only" policy. Isn't it obvious that using the first lane inconveniences others? Then, twenty seconds after I pulled behind her, she was finished and driving away. Okay then, I thought to myself, what was I going to do with those twenty seconds? Am I in any particular hurry? The answers today and most days are "nothing" and "no." I have, on occasion, however, waited several minutes for a first lane transaction to finish. Even then though, it is very possible that most first lane drive-thru customers have no idea that the lane blocks the ATM and/or that many of them are afraid of using the tubes in the second or third lane. This is an epiphany, but I think I might be unreasonable. Best to try and chill out on these hot days.

*because of a ticket received three weeks ago, I am currently without a license due to some strange Illinois policy . . . I paid for the ticket the next day but alas, still no license. It is a very proud moment when I get to use my ticket as a form of ID. Also, I was not speeding, but turned right on red when a sign I did not see warned me not to do so.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A-ha! I, too, enjoyed telling people that the state of Illinois was "temporarily borrowing my license," only to find out that you can use that ticket they give you as your id in the meantime. I chose to use my passport for id, which, in the process, I lost and now figure someone has stolen my identity while I sit idly by waiting for it to turn up.

 
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